World Games and the Quest for Olympic Status , The seventh World Games, held in Duisburg, Ger., July 14–24, 2005, was an international event that drew some 500,000 spectators and featured a diverse palette of more than 30 sports in six categories: artistry and dance sports, precision sports, trend sports, martial arts, ball sports, and strength sports. The individual events contested ranged from bodybuilding and mountaineering to bowling and waterskiing. Russia and Germany tied in the overall medal count with 57 medals each, though Russia won more gold (27).

Held every four years in the year following the Summer Olympic Games—and with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)—the World Games were created in 1981 to help celebrate the Olympic movement while allowing non-Olympic sports to have their own elite international competition. Some events, such as triathlon and beach volleyball, were later accepted into the Olympics, while others, such as rugby and tug-of-war, were former Olympic sports.

In order for a sport to be included in the Olympic program, it must be voted into the program seven years prior to the Games in which it would appear. To be eligible, a sport needs to be under the control of an IOC-recognized international sports federation (IF) that is responsible for the integrity of the sport on the international level. The IFs can petition the IOC to become official Olympic sports. They are evaluated on the following principles: history of the sport, worldwide reach, popularity, image, athletes’ health and welfare, development of the IF, and venue costs. Each sport in the Games is later reevaluated to make sure that it appeals to Olympic fans.

Four sports contested in the 2005 World Games—karate, roller sports, rugby, and squash—vied to be added to the program for the 2012 Olympics in London. IOC members cast their ballots during the 117th IOC Session, held in July in Singapore. Since the IOC eliminated baseball and softball from the 2012 Games, supporters of the five candidate sports (the four World Games sports and golf) were optimistic. Only squash and karate advanced past the initial vote, gaining the 50% of the preliminary votes needed to be considered, but on the second vote neither sport gained the necessary two-thirds majority to be included in the 2012 Games. After the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, each sport would have the opportunity to come up again for an IOC vote into the Olympic program.